The SLO Marathon
San Luis Obispo is a small town along the central coast of California about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is know for its wineries, bed and breakfasts, miles of hiking trails, and many water sports like surfing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Hearst Castle. is also a nearby attraction.
It is also the home of the San Luis Obispo (SLO) Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k, which will be held April 25-27. The SLO Marathon is a Boston Qualifier that will take you on a tour of San Luis Obispo, where you will run past the beautiful wineries, the turn of the century downtown area, the glorious green hills and open spaces of the Edna Valley. It is a point to point race that starts at San Luis Obispo High School and finishes at iconic Madonna Inn.
I was selected to be an Ambassador for the SLO Marathon. As such I will receive a free entry into the race and a team jacket in exchange for writing about the event and sharing updates and news with my readers. Ironically, I won’t be able to participate this year due to a scheduling conflict, but I will be there for 2015! In the meantime, I, along with the other SLO Ambassadors, will keep you up to date, offer training tips, and I will be with you in spirit on race day.
To start with I have a discount code that will save you $10 off either the marathon or the half marathon. It is 2014AMFRIENDS and it is good until March 18.
Click the picture to register. Don’t forget to use code 2014AMFRIENDS to save $10 on the marathon and half marathon until March 18.
Friday Favorites
Most of my favorites seem to be food related this week. That’s not totally unusual since I love food and love to eat, but since the Super Bowl started the week with “football food,” I kind of continued the trend of tasty but maybe not super healthy eating.
Native Foods
On Wednesday I took some time at lunch to drive to Native Foods in Palm Springs. It’s a 20 minute drive in each direction, so I brought the food back to work with me. I ordered a new item, the Bombastic Tofu Wrap, and I thought it was very good. It had a little Indian flavor to it (Bombastic/Bombay you know), with a gingery mango dressing, almonds, brown rice, and crispy tofu. I really just enjoy going to Native Foods, you know? As the only vegan restaurant in the desert, it’s the only place I can go, order anything on the menu and relax knowing it’s vegan.
Other delicious yet not necessarily healthy meals included a veggie bowl from Chipotle, leftover pizza, and stuffed potatoes. Yeah, I know. On a much healthier note, I also made a vegan steak and asparagus salad that was amazing.
Thorlo Experia Socks
I have run in thin socks for years and just have always loved that connected with the ground feeling that they provide. But, Alan loves the thicker feel of Thorlo’s, so when I came across a deal recently, buy three get one free, I got a pair for myself. Yesterday I ran in them for the first time and, oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe how comfy and cushy they felt! I might have to rethink my sock needs.
Pedicure
In keeping with my tips for a healthy recovery, I had a pedicure on Thursday. Even though I get them fairly frequently, it is still a great way to relax, pamper yourself and take care of your feet.
Bissell Deep Clean Premier Pet
In spite of having seven dogs, until last weekend just have survived with a little handheld carpet cleaner (which is actually great for small spots, but still…). I’ve wanted to get an upright model for a long time and last weekend, thanks to a great deal at Costco, we bought the Bissell. What a difference! Almost as good as a professional cleaning plus I don’t have to get down on my hands and knees to scrub anymore! Except those little tinkle spots that seem to appear when no one is looking.
Have you ever been to San Luis Obispo? What was one of your favorite things from the week? Any special plans for the weekend? (I’m working on Saturday and running a half marathon on Sunday .)
Live from La Quinta - Tales of a Vegan Athlete